That is funny! I hadn’t thought about Dune in a while, but Nabil’s comment on SSC brought thoughts of the Jihad flooding back.
I agree with your critiques of unilateral action; it’s a major problem with all proposals like this (maybe a whole post on this at some point). Something that bugs me about a lot of calls to action, even relatively mundane political ones, is that they don’t make clear what I, personally, can do to further the cause.
This is why I specifically advised that people not automate anything new. Many of us are programmers or engineers; we feel positively about automation and will often want to implement it in our lives. Some of us even occupy positions of power in various organizations, or are in a position to advise people who are. I know that this idea will make me less likely to automate things in my life; I hope it will influence others similarly.
Dismantling the automation we have sounds like a much tougher coordination problem. I’m less optimistic about that one! But maybe we can not actively make it worse.
The fealty proposal was intended as a joke! I just think we could consider being more Confucian.
Exactly what Herbert believed is hard to say, but my impression has always been that he mostly agrees with the views of his “main” characters; Leto I, Paul, Hayt, Leto II, Siona, Miles Teg, etc. Regarding Feudalism, he says that it is the “natural condition of human beings…not that it is the only condition or not that it is the right condition”. I’ve found this interview pretty enlightening.
In regards to the “multi-millennial ideologically motivated political stranglehold”, I’m not sure if he thinks it’s good. But insofar as we think human extinction is bad, we have to see this system as, if not good, then at least successful.
That is funny! I hadn’t thought about Dune in a while, but Nabil’s comment on SSC brought thoughts of the Jihad flooding back.
I agree with your critiques of unilateral action; it’s a major problem with all proposals like this (maybe a whole post on this at some point). Something that bugs me about a lot of calls to action, even relatively mundane political ones, is that they don’t make clear what I, personally, can do to further the cause.
This is why I specifically advised that people not automate anything new. Many of us are programmers or engineers; we feel positively about automation and will often want to implement it in our lives. Some of us even occupy positions of power in various organizations, or are in a position to advise people who are. I know that this idea will make me less likely to automate things in my life; I hope it will influence others similarly.
Dismantling the automation we have sounds like a much tougher coordination problem. I’m less optimistic about that one! But maybe we can not actively make it worse.
The fealty proposal was intended as a joke! I just think we could consider being more Confucian.
Exactly what Herbert believed is hard to say, but my impression has always been that he mostly agrees with the views of his “main” characters; Leto I, Paul, Hayt, Leto II, Siona, Miles Teg, etc. Regarding Feudalism, he says that it is the “natural condition of human beings…not that it is the only condition or not that it is the right condition”. I’ve found this interview pretty enlightening.
In regards to the “multi-millennial ideologically motivated political stranglehold”, I’m not sure if he thinks it’s good. But insofar as we think human extinction is bad, we have to see this system as, if not good, then at least successful.
Thanks for the feedback! :)
Thanks for the interview. This is great.